JU teachers against test

SUBHANKAR CHOWDHURY

Jadavpur University teachers have decided to oppose the government’s plan to start a common entrance test for postgraduate courses at state universities, citing syllabus mismatch and infringement on autonomy.

The JU Teachers’ Association resolved at its general body meeting on Wednesday to oppose the test, set to be introduced from the next academic session. All but 20 boards of studies at the university had recently conveyed their objection to the test to a four-member committee the institution had set up to seek opinion on campus on the government’s move.

“We don’t think the government should start the test without addressing the concerns of the boards of studies,” said Parthapratim Biswas, the general secretary of the JU Teachers’ Association.

The association will convey its opinion to vice-chancellor Souvik Bhattacharya and urge him to take a firm stand against the test.

The government had in July announced its decision to hold a common entrance test for admitting students to nearly 10,000 postgraduate seats at state universities based on a recommendation of a 15-member committee set up to prepare a roadmap for higher education.

But JU teachers have observed that the government should first ensure a parity among the undergraduate syllabi at the universities. They also fear the test would curb each university’s right to frame its admission policy.

“We have heard that the state higher education council is drawing up a syllabus containing elements common to the syllabi of all universities for setting questions for the admission test. We fail to understand how the JU syllabus can have any common ground with that of, say, West Bengal State University or North Bengal University,” a teacher of comparative literature said.

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